Polymer electrolyte membranes for microbial fuel cells: Part b. non-nafion alternative membranes

A polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) is primarily involved with the conduction of protons from the anode to the cathode, acting as a separating barrier between the contents of the anode and the cathode compartments, and preventing the flow of electrons from the anode to the cathode compartment. Until now, Nafion membranes have served as the state-of-the-art PEMs for microbial fuel cells (MFCs). However, Nafion membranes suffer from a high-cost and low-performance efficiency. This leads to the realization of low-current output per cost. Therefore, recent research has been focused on the fabrication and utilization of membrane materials other than Nafion for applications in MFCs. Such alternative membranes have demonstrated low material and fabrication costs along with significant performance efficiencies. This chapter reports on work done with alternative PEMs and the inspiring results they have demonstrated so far. Possible future directions in the research of alternative PEMs have also been provided.